TMG News

The Macaluso Group announces another expansion of its corporate headquarters office.

September 6, 2017

The Macaluso Group (TMG) is pleased to announce that effective October 1, 2017 it will take occupancy of a significant expansion to its corporate headquarters facility. The new space will add approximately 50% to the total office space at 100 Passaic Avenue in Fairfield, New Jersey.

“This expansion will provide us with much needed space to support the continued growth of our client service and Technology teams, as well as provide additional client and staff conference facilities,” said Jo Ann Joseph, Chief Operating Officer at TMG. The new space includes dozens of customer service and IT workstations as well as several conference rooms, client meeting areas, and office spaces.

The latest growth in TMG office space follows the significant expansion of the Fairfield headquarters in 2016. The 2016 expansion, formally announced in April of last year, approximately doubled the then-current square footage of the TMG corporate headquarters location.

“We are pleased to announce today the latest phase of growth in our headquarters facility,” said Mary-Beth Macaluso, President of TMG. “This investment in increased staff, equipment, and office space will ensure that we can continue to meet our commitment to providing clients, providers, and patients with the best service levels in the industry.”

TMG has been honored on the Inc. 500/5000 list, recognizing the fastest growing privately-held companies, seven times over the 15 years of its existence. Dr. Kris Lakshmanan, head of strategy for TMG and co-founder of D2M, a technology company acquired by TMG in early 2014, stated that “it is exciting to see the continued growth in the company, as represented by this latest expansion of our corporate headquarters. We are pleased to see that TMG’s relentless focus on utilizing technology to better service clients, providers, and patients is driving the ongoing growth of the business.”

Mr. Joseph Romano, a Principal of Accordia Realty Ventures, which owns the TMG headquarters building in Fairfield, stated that “It has been a pleasure to watch the dramatic growth that TMG has experienced since they located at Greenbrook Executive Center. We are proud to have played a small part in this and look forward to continuing to assist in their future growth.”

The Macaluso Group (TMG) in Fairfield, NJ, is pleased to provide an update on its ongoing partnership with Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ.

TMG first announced last year that the company was sponsoring three students in the 2016 Summer Research Program (SRP), a Monmouth annual internship program for science, computer science, and software engineering students in which the interns work on research projects funded by industry sponsors. During a 12-week summer break, the students work on innovative projects for their sponsoring firms under the guidance of faculty mentors and industry sponsors. In addition to the value delivered to the sponsoring firms, the students also are given an opportunity to showcase their completed projects at an SRP event on the Monmouth campus. In 2016 TMG sponsored three students during the SRP term, and was extremely pleased with the results delivered from those projects.

For 2017, we are pleased to announce that TMG also sponsored three Monmouth students for the 2017 Summer Research Program, again under the direction of Dr. Raman Lakshmanan, the Chief Technology Officer for TMG.

Dr. Lakshmanan, who is also an adjunct professor in the Computer Science and Software Engineering department at Monmouth, reported that the students participating in the 2017 SRP were as follows:

“As was the case in 2016, we were very impressed with the results the students could deliver in the 2017 SRP program,” stated Dr. Lakshmanan. “The caliber of the students that we have been able to bring into our company – and the innovative, high quality solutions they developed on a very accelerated timeline – are truly remarkable. We are very pleased to provide a strong working partnership with Monmouth University for students with real world software development experience and look forward to continue and expand our relationship with the university going forward.”

Dr. Steven Bachrach, Dean of School of Science at Monmouth University, stated “We are so pleased that the Macaluso Group recognizes the value of partnering with the School of Science, both in terms of developing future scientists and engineers and in tackling their own technical challenges using our students. Under Dr. Lakshmanan's splendid mentorship, we have seen amazing growth in our students as they understand how to apply their classroom theory to real problems. This partnership with The Macaluso Group is a model of the type of educational experiences we want to deliver to all of our students at Monmouth University.“

Professor Jamie Kretsch, Chair of Computer Science and Software Engineering at Monmouth University, stated "The Summer Research Program experience provided by Dr. Lakshmanan and The Macaluso Group is a world-class testament to the value of partnerships between industry and higher ed. Megan, Kerry Ann and Dan mastered software and hardware technologies not previously experienced in coursework, practiced their software skills with individuals at the highest levels of University and industry, and experienced the real business of providing exciting, innovative services to new and existing TMG clients. The Summer Research Program has shown itself as a perfect incubator for these innovative partnerships, and we are fortunate that The Macaluso Group turned their time-tested formula for success toward Monmouth University."

The three students in their Thank You note to Joe Macaluso, CEO of TMG, stated “The opportunities and experiences we have encountered while working on our research projects are invaluable to us. We have obtained skills that will benefit us greatly when looking for jobs. We also feel a great sense of pride in what we have learned and accomplished over the course of the Summer Research Program.”

The Macaluso Group, LLC (TMG), the leading provider of real time pharmacy benefits and patient assistance products and services, is pleased to share that TMG and its journey to Amazon “cloud computing” services is the subject of a detailed client Case Study released today by Datapipe. Datapipe, a Premier Partner of Amazon Web Services (AWS), is a key partner for TMG and provides a robust suite of managed security services in the TMG Amazon Cloud computing environment.

The Case Study series from Datapipe provides in-depth profiles of innovative companies that are leveraging AWS services to improve the speed, flexibility, security, and reliability of their computing services. The TMG Case Study highlights how TMG is able to leverage the cloud to meet stringent security demands in a very rapidly growing company. The full Case Study at the following link:
http://go.datapipe.com/case-study-macaluso.pdf

The Macaluso Group, LLC (TMG), the leading provider of real time pharmacy benefits and patient assistance products and services, is pleased to share that TMG is the subject of a “Client Spotlight” feature released today by Datapipe. Datapipe, a Premier Partner of Amazon Web Services (AWS), provides TMG with a robust suite of managed security services in the TMG Amazon Cloud computing environment.

Scott P. Jones, Chief Information Officer for TMG, stated that “Datapipe is a key partner for TMG, allowing us to achieve and maintain the most rigorous security standards in the industry. We are pleased to be featured by Datapipe as an example of an innovative, high growth client with intensive security needs.”

The Macaluso Group, LLC (TMG), the leading provider of real time pharmacy benefits and patient assistance products and services, is pleased to announce the achievement of another key milestone in our rigorous compliance program.

In Q4 2015 TMG achieved one of its key strategic objectives when we were certified as PCI DSS Level 1 (“Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards Level 1”), version 3.1, compliant for our payment card programs. The Level 1 certification is the highest-level security standard specified by the Payment Card Industry, and can only be achieved by successfully completing an audit by a PCI-certified Qualified Security Assessor (QSA), with required annual QSA audits thereafter.

For this successful audit and recertification, TMG engaged KalioTek, a Cupertino, CA based QSA, to conduct the annual PCI audit, and for this audit expanded the scope to include the TMG Copay Assistance Programs co-managed by our security services partner Datapipe in the TMG cloud hosted at Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Mary Beth Macaluso, President of TMG, stated that “since the inception of the company, TMG has been intensely committed to meeting or exceeding the rigorous security and compliance standards required by law and regulatory agencies, and expected by our clients and partners. We are pleased to report that the outcome of this rigorous audit is that TMG has been again certified as meeting the highest level of PCI compliance.”

Scott P. Jones, Chief Security, Privacy, and Compliance Officer, stated that “TMG maintains and executes a strategic plan specifying our objectives and timelines for continually ‘raising the bar’ of our Security, Privacy, and Compliance standards. The successful completion of the audit and recertification as PCI DSS Level 1, version 3.2 compliant is another key milestone addressed on that roadmap.”

The Macaluso Group, LLC (TMG), the leading provider of real time pharmacy benefits and patient assistance products and services, is pleased to announce the achievement of another key milestone in our rigorous compliance program.

In Q4 2015 TMG achieved one of its key strategic objectives when we were certified as PCI DSS Level 1 (“Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards Level 1”), version 3.1, compliant for our payment card programs. The Level 1 certification is the highest-level security standard specified by the Payment Card Industry, and can only be achieved by successfully completing an audit by a PCI-certified Qualified Security Assessor (QSA), with required annual QSA audits thereafter.

For 2016, strategic compliance initiatives for TMG included successful recertification of our PCI Level 1 compliance (while expanding the scope of our PCI certification to include TMG’s Copay Assistance Programs), as well as engaging a leading external auditor to assess and render an opinion on TMG HIPAA compliance practices for our Copay Assistance Programs. The HIPAA audit was conducted by Schellman & Company, LLC (formerly known as Brightline), a highly regarded healthcare and financial compliance auditing firm.

We are pleased to announce that this audit has been successfully completed and that the auditing firm has issued a formal report of its findings, certifying that TMG processes and technology are HIPAA compliant. Specifically, the report states that

“the information security and privacy program conformed to the applicable implementation specifications within the HIPAA Security and HIPAA Privacy Rule, and the HITECH breach notification requirements, as described in Part 164 of CFR 45, as of December 31, 2016.”

Mary Beth Macaluso, President of TMG, remarked that “TMG is pleased to have sponsored this rigorous external review and to have received validation of our HIPAA compliance processes and technology. One of the foundational principles of our business is that we will meet or exceed the most rigorous compliance standards. The audit results provide another validation of this TMG foundational principle for our clients and partners, and for the providers and patients that we support.”

Scott P. Jones, Chief Security, Privacy, and Compliance Officer, stated that “TMG maintains and executes a strategic plan specifying our objectives and timelines for continually ‘raising the bar’ of our Security, Privacy, and Compliance standards. The successful completion of this HIPAA audit is another key milestone for the company, and as evidence of our rigorous commitment to compliance, the roadmap calls for TMG to conduct similar external HIPAA audits annually.”

Fairfield New Jersey's The Macaluso Group has again been recognized by INC magazine as one of America's fastest growing privately held companies in INC's August, 2016 newly released report.

The lifeblood of the American economy is the health and growth or the privately held businesses. In order for the country to flourish these businesses must continue to grow and become prosperous. Most of the country's new hiring positions will be provided by America's privately held small businesses.

This year's list is comprised of exceptionally strong businesses as they have found the means to flourish while the overall country's business growth is still at a GDP average of 1.1%. The list is comprised of companies who have brought significant innovation to the marketplace and are making great inroads into their respective industries.

The Macaluso Group has shown exceptional resiliency as this is the seventh time in the last fifteen years that INC has recognized The Macaluso Group for its continued high percentage growth year-over-year. The ability to be recognized after 15 years of existence is very difficult because the measurement is the percentage of growth year-over-year for the past three years. As the annual revenues grow it is extremely difficult to retain those high double digit percentage growth percentages. The Macaluso Group experienced a 40% growth year over year for the past three years.

"This award is most prized by us", said Mary-Beth Macaluso, President of the Macaluso Group. "We have completely upgraded every one of our I.T. systems and networks and during this three year period expanded both our Santa Monica and our Fairfield New Jersey locations. To upgrade our entire company and still maintain this level of growth is a testament to the quality and dedication of our most important resource..our employees."

About Inc Magazine

Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures LLC, Inc. (www.inc.com) is the only major business magazine dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies that delivers real solutions for today's innovative company builders. With a total paid circulation of 710,106, Inc. provides hands-on tools and market-tested strategies for managing people, finances, sales, marketing, and technology. Visit us online at www.inc.com.

The Macaluso Group (TMG) completed successful participation at Monmouth University, West Long Banch, NJ, 2016 Summer Research Program (SRP). SRP is an annual internship program for science, computer science and software engineering students to work on research projects funded by industry. Students work on innovative topics guided by faculty mentors and industry members over a 12-week period culminating in showcasing their projects at a campus event. TMG sponsored the following students in SRP

The students worked with TMG's software designers and engineers in various healthcare related projects to gain valuable experience. They were mentored by TMG's CTO Dr. Raman Lakshmanan who also is an adjunct professor in Computer Science and Software Engineering Department at Monmouth University. The projects were well received by visitors at the event and school faculty.

The Macaluso Group of Fairfield, New Jersey, a leader in co-pay and financial payment solutions, is proud to announce that Mr. Scott P. Jones has joined our team as Chief Information and Process Standards Officer. Scott has a stellar background in executive IT leadership roles at Fortune 500 firms, within a variety of industries including healthcare, e-commerce, retail and technology.

Joe Macaluso, Chairman & CEO of TMG expressed that, "I am elated that we now have the complete organization to take the innovative and leading edge developments coming for Dr. Raman Lakshmanan's team, and merge them with the new emerging patient and client facing technologies created by Dr. Kris Lakshmanan's entrepreneurial solutions-based systems. TMG has always led the industry in novel technology-based solutions, solving healthcare marketing and supply chain problems."

Scott has been consulting with TMG for a majority of the past year, making this transition into an executive leadership role a seamless one for TMG clients and partners. During his time with TMG so far, he was the team leader of the 9-month PCI compliance project. Prior to joining TMG, Scott's most recent position was with Asurion, a provider of global mobile device protection and insurance services. Here he held a variety of executive positions in both the United States and Europe. Prior to his time with Asurion, Scott previously held executive IT leadership roles with Expedia, CVS, CIGNA and Nortel Networks.

Over the course of his career, Scott has led technology organizations in Operations, Application Development, Infrastructure and Program Management roles. His experience includes both managing vast global delivery organizations and holding key technology and operations leadership positions for rapidly growing start-up divisions of global technology firms.

Scott earned a B.S. in Business Administration and an MBA degree from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The Macaluso Group is expanding its corporate headquarters in Fairfield, New Jersey. The expansion doubles the current space and is expected to be completed for an April 1, 2016 opening.

"This new space enables us to dramatically expand our client support groups as well as provides more space for the Information Technology Teams", said Jo Ann Joseph, COO. This space features multiple offices and infrastructure to support call center and I.T. personnel, as well as two large conference rooms including a new Hi-Tech I.T. design center.

This growth follows the West Coast expansion in 2015. "The additional staff and facilities make it possible for TMG to support our new business and provide the platform for future growth," said Mary-Beth Macaluso, President TMG. "In this business, we need the well-trained support staff and workstations in place before launching a new client or additional product program."

TMG completed a massive Information Technology and communications installation during 2015, as well as became *PCI Level 1 Compliant. These achievements propelled TMG to the top tier of all payment card processors, issuers, and affinity card providers in terms of the level and strength of security implemented to protect customer data.

The Macaluso Group (TMG) has been honored by Inc. 500/5000 as a fastest growing privately held company six times in thirteen years. TMG was first to market with unique co-pay and payment program innovations and is considered the "Gold Standard" in Medical Benefit Co-pay programs.

*PCI DSS is a rigorous security standard governing all aspects of payment and credit card security and Level 1 is the highest level of compliance.

The Macaluso Group (TMG) is pleased to announce that it has received attestation of compliance to Level 1 of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) for its payment card line of business. The PCI DSS is a rigorous security standard governing all aspects of payment and credit card security and Level 1 is the highest level of compliance. This places TMG at the top tier of all payment card processors, issuers, and affinity card providers in terms of the level and strength of security implemented to protect customer data.

"Achieving PCI DSS Level 1 is a significant milestone for The Macaluso Group", said David Bauer, Chief Security and Privacy Officer. "We take security and privacy very seriously and the investment to achieve Level 1 compliance demonstrates our continual commitment to being the best in class service provider in every aspect of the business."

The Macaluso Group (TMG) has been honored by Inc. 500/5000 as a fastest growing privately held company six times in thirteen years. TMG was first to market with unique co-pay and payment program innovations and is considered the "Gold Standard" in Medical Benefit Co-pay programs.

The Macaluso Group, a leader in Co-pay and financial payment solutions, expanded their West Coast presence on July 29, 2015. This will continue to support the growing western headquarters for TMG programs as well as is the primary location for the Specialty Products Division. The sales, marketing, and support services for the west coast clients are centered in this new facility.

"We are very excited about the growth of the Specialty Division team and pleased to take on more space in The Colorado (previously Yahoo) Center in the heart of "Silicon Beach" in Santa Monica, California," said Mary-Beth Macaluso, President, Specialty Products.

"This unique location is centrally located to our clients and provides us with a state-of-the-art environment and high-tech infrastructure within the building that integrates very well with our proprietary and compliant technology platform."

The West Coast location is interconnected and provides complete redundancy to our East Coast division located in Fairfield, New Jersey. The East Coast headquarters and the Benefits Investigation & EOB Processing Center are conveniently located within a couple miles of one other.

The Macaluso Group (TMG) has been honored by Inc. 500/5000 as a fastest growing privately held company six times in thirteen years. TMG was first to market with unique co-pay and payment program innovations and is considered the "Gold Standard" in Medical Benefit Co-pay programs.

The Macaluso Group of Fairfield, New Jersey, a leader in Co-Pay and Financial payment solutions, is proud to announce Mr. Ted B. Dargan has joined our team as EVP, Chief Payments Officer and Managing Director – Payment Solutions. Ted has a stellar background in financial card services ranging from credit, debit/prepaid and alternative payments.

Joe Macaluso, Founder and CEO of The Macaluso Group (TMG), an industry leader, commented, "We are excited that Ted is joining our team and will play an integral roll in helping TMG maintain our leadership position in a highly regulated marketplace. Ted will be responsible for defining, designing and implementing our suite of payment solutions and leading the charge to evolve them into the future."

Ted's most recent position was with SpendSmart Networks LLC, a provider of payments and loyalty solutions focusing on segment markets at the consumer and merchant level, as the Vice President – Global Head of Card Operations, Innovation/Product Management.. Before SpendSmart, Ted was Senior Vice President, Global Head Card/Innovations Services at EZCORP.

Ted has held other leadership positions including President/CEO Cornerstone Marketing LLC, and Vice President Global Prepaid and Sales for MasterCard Worldwide. He was Senior Director Co-brand and Director Membership Rewards at American Express both U.S. and London. Ted began his career as the Senior Marketing Director – Global Services, within the Personal Computer and Server group with Hewlett-Packard.

Ted Dargan holds a Bachelor of Arts, Economics and Finance from University of Massachusetts – Amherst and Master in Business Administration, Marketing and Global, from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

The Macaluso Group (TMG) has been honored by Inc. 500/5000 as a fastest growing privately held company six times in thirteen years. TMG was first to market with several co-pay and payment program innovations and is considered the "Gold Standard" in Medical Benefit Co-pay programs.

Fairfield New Jersey's Macaluso Group has been recognized by INC magazine as one of America's fastest growing privately held companies for the 6th time since 2006.

— Inc. magazine today ranked The Macaluso Group on its sixth annual Inc. 500|5000, an exclusive ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The list represents the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy—America's independent entrepreneurs. The Macaluso Group is among the stellar companies achieving such high growth over the past three years under the difficult financial times for small businesses.

This is the 5th INC500/5000 award for the Macaluso Group in the past 5 years. TMG was ranked #21 in its first award in 2006. They were again recognized in the succeeding years of 2010,2011,2012,2013,and 2014. This is a very rare accomplishment making them an INC 500/5000 Hall of Fame winner.

In a period of slow economic environment, the Macaluso Group managed to grow at an impressive 20% per year compounded over these past 5 years.. The Macaluso Group Business model has been consistent throughout the past decade. TMG provides patient co-pay assistance for prescription drugs and injection & infused medications. It has specialized in aiding needy patients in obtaining their critically needed biological medications in such disease categories as cancer, arthritis hematology and other rare and orphan medications.

The Macaluso Group Business model has been consistent throughout the past decade. TMG provides patient co-pay assistance for prescription drugs and injection & infused medications. Prescription drug savings cards through Walmart and Sam's Club Stores, and prescriptions savings programs for self-insured companies through Walmart and Sam's Club Stores.

For more information on The Macaluso Group contact Ms. Jo Ann Joseph, Executive Vice president and COO or through the web site at http://macalusogroup.com

About Inc. Magazine

Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures LLC, Inc. (www.inc.com) is the only major business magazine dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies that delivers real solutions for today's innovative company builders. With a total paid circulation of 710,106, Inc. provides hands-on tools and market-tested strategies for managing people, finances, sales, marketing, and technology. Visit us online at www.inc.com.

The Macaluso Group, a leader in Co-Pay and financial payment solutions, has moved their corporate headquarters to the Greenbrook Executive Center on Passaic Avenue in Fairfield, New Jersey. This provides significantly more scale and efficiencies for our East Coast Headquarters and supports their growing leadership, sales, marketing and support teams and systems infrastructure.

Joe Macaluso, Founder and CEO commented, "We are pleased to expand into this state-of-the art facility which will support our growing business and new proprietary and compliant technology platforms. This provides connectivity and complete redundancy to our three U. S. office locations, including our Benefits Investigation & EOB Processing Center also in Fairfield, New Jersey and our Specialty Products Division in Santa Monica California."

The Macaluso Group (TMG) has been honored by Inc. 500/5000 as a fastest growing privately held company six times in thirteen years. TMG was first to market with several co-pay and payment program innovations and is considered the "Gold Standard" in Medical Benefit Co-pay programs.

The Macaluso Group of Fairfield, New Jersey, a leader in Co-Pay and financial payment solutions, is proud to announce Mr. David S. Bauer has joined our team as Chief Security and Privacy Officer. David has a stellar background in both Information Technology and Financial Business Regulations and Requirements.

Joe Macaluso, Founder and CEO of The Macaluso Group (TMG), an industry leader, commented, "We are pleased that David is joining our team. He will have the critical role of defining, designing, and instituting the entire suite of security and privacy protocols for TMG. I believe this level of thoroughness and investment is imperative to maintain our leadership in this highly regulated marketplace."

David's most recent position was with Asurion, a provider of mobile device protection and insurance services where he held a variety of executive positions in both the United States and Internationally. Before Asurion, David was First Vice President and Chief Information Security and Privacy Officer for Merrill Lynch, for which he was named a Computerworld Premier 100 IT Leader in 2004.

David has held other positions including Global Head of Engineering for Deutsche Bank, based in London, Head of Security and Internet Services for Morgan Stanley, and Director of Computer Security Technology for Bell Communications Research. David began his career as a programmer in the areas of computer graphics, language design, and network management at AT$T Bell Laboratories.

David holds Bachelor and Masters Degrees in Computer Science from Rutgers University.

The Macaluso Group (TMG) has been honored by Inc. 500/5000 as a fastest growing privately held company six times in thirteen years. TMG was first to market with several co-pay and payment program innovations and is considered the "Gold Standard" in Medical Benefit Co-pay programs.

The Macaluso Group of Fairfield, New Jersey, a leader in Co-Pay and financial payment solutions, has launched Guardian Verification Solution, to support an immediate need within the pharmaceutical and biotech industry. The Guardian Verification Solution is a system that identifies individuals that are participating in state or federally funded programs so that they may be excluded from Co-Pay Card programs.

Joe Macaluso, Founder and CEO of The Macaluso Group (TMG), an industry leader, commented, "The problem is that there is no centrally located source and reliable data solution for a company to check that their potentially enrolled patient is actually a member of any of these entities. There have been efforts to manually compile the multiple combinations of BIN#'s, Plan ID's, and Group#'s. They are at best a "GLOBAL" check of the patient's involvement and do not account for an "individual" attempting to become enrolled and do not pick-up any status changes nor is the current method applicable in other than a retail setting."

Mary-Beth Macaluso, President of Specialty Services commented, "We are extremely excited to launch Guardian Verification Solution that will fill a huge industry gap and help insulate our valued partners. The Guardian Verification Solution leverages a proprietary matching process, running these individual's records across all of the non-allowed databases as well as other resources."

The Macaluso Group (TMG) has been honored by Inc. 500/5000 as a fastest growing privately held company five times in twelve years. TMG was first to market with several co-pay and payment program innovations and is considered the "Gold Standard" in Medical Benefit Co-Pay programs.

We are proud to announce that The Macaluso Group (TMG) of Fairfield, New Jersey, the brainchild of New York Council Member Joseph Macaluso, has acquired the health care assets of D2M.

TMG is known for their copay discount card for medications; D2M specializes in engineering solutions. This acquisition will combine a new IT structure between TMG and D2M.

Working alongside D2M is a familiar notion to Joseph, CEO of TMG. "I hired the D2M company as a contract programming staff… I was able to pay them a ‘fee for service,' where they would develop with my people and I would have the strength of a larger staff without owning a larger staff," explains Joseph.

As a five-time Inc. 5000 honoree, Joseph's company experienced a dramatic growth, which spurred the idea for the acquisition. "Seeing that technology is the cornerstone of our entire product line, the most sensible thing that I should do is absorb to acquire this whole service, so that I have it within house, have total access to these people at all times. I made the decision to literally acquire the whole health care portion of their business [D2M], including their CEO and executive staff."

With that said, Joseph is confident that this added capacity will amplify their business in 24 months. "What is more important is that [Charles St. Charles III], my VP of IT, strangely enough was part of D2M many years ago. But I brought him on board early on. He's going to work directly for me and we have created a development group to take us into new markets," reveals Joseph.

Joseph further reveals plans now that his company has acquired D2M: "We have a new venture area that we're looking at, and Charles will be spearheading that with the team. So that gives us the freedom to expand our market horizontally; [meanwhile] for our vertical market, we're going to put a big push on and probably double that current market."

Joseph, congratulations on your company's acquisition. The Council applauds all that you have accomplished – cheers!

The Macaluso Group, of Fairfield New Jersey, is strengthening its position as a technology and data driven company focused on pioneering co-pay and financial payment solutions. Through investing in both information technology personnel and systems infrastructure, The Macaluso Group (TMG) will bolster its industry leading proprietary and compliant technology platform.

The Macaluso Group (TMG) has acquired all health care assets of d2m, a high tech information technology company specializing in digital to mobile communications. d2m has served as the adjunct technology team to TMG's in house team, led by Charles St. Charles III, Vice President of Information Technology since 2002. Through this acquisition, TMG and d2m technology groups are being combined within a single new IT structure.

Kris Lakshmanan, PhD CEO of d2m, will become the Executive Vice President of Information Technology reporting to Joe Macaluso, Chairman & CEO of TMG. Raman Lakshmanan, PhD, is the new Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for TMG. This system design and engineering team will report to Raman in his new position within TMG. Systems engineers will reside within TMG's New Jersey and Santa Monica offices, to best support both the East and West Coast leadership team and clientele.

Charles St. Charles will continue to report directly to Joe Macaluso and be responsible for leading the company into new markets and opportunities. Mr. St. Charles will work in partnership with Ms. Larissa Lenosky, Vice President of Planning & Development.

"We believe this is the ideal structure and systems for TMG to continue its Inc. 500 growth and prepare ourselves for even greater growth in services and innovation for our valued client base," said Kris Laksmanan, PhD.

The Macaluso Group was formed by industry veteran Joe Macaluso in 2001 and has been honored by Inc. 500/5000 as a fastest growing privately held company five times in twelve years.

The Macaluso Group was first to market with several co-pay and payment innovations and is considered the "Gold Standard" in Medical Benefit Co-Pay programs.